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Explosives Found In Resort Home

OCEAN CITY – An Ocean City man was arrested on several
serious felony charges after a search and seizure warrant executed at his
resort residence last week revealed several explosives he allegedly
manufactured and threatened to use.

The Ocean City Fire
Marshal’s Office, assisted by the OCPD, last Thursday executed a search and
seizure warrant at a residence on 138th Street in the resort. The Fire Marshal’s Office
had obtained an arrest warrant for Norman Talbott Arnold III, 20, of Ocean City,
after receiving a complaint the suspect threatened to set fire to or blow up a
vehicle belonging to another person dating back to an incident in July.

While serving the
warrant on Arnold
last Thursday, members of the Fire Marshal’s Office Bomb Squad found and
confiscated materials used to manufacture destructive devices. The materials
confiscated included PVC pipes with affixed end caps filled with gunpowder
pre-drilled for a possible fusing system, a one-gallon container of gunpowder,
several lengths of PVC pipe, an additional pre-drilled end cap and a spool of
hobby fuse.

Investigators at this
time are not certain what Arnold’s
intentions were for using the confiscated explosives. He was taken into custody
and initially charged with one count of arson threat by setting fire and one
count of threat of arson by exploding a destructive device, apparently for
threats made to blow up or set fire to another person’s vehicle back in July.
Both are felonies and carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for each
offense.

After the warrant was
served and the subsequent search revealed the cache of destructive devices,
several more charges were added including three counts of reckless
endangerment, two counts of possessing an explosive device, and two counts of
possessing explosives with intent. Arnold
was also charged with possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia.

Arnold was taken before a District Court Commissioner and
ordered held on a $25,000 bond. He was released last Friday after the bond was
posted, presumably by a family member.

A trial date for the two
initial charges of arson threat has been set for Oct. 17. However, Arnold is also set to
appear in District Court for a preliminary hearing on the charges added after
the discovery of the explosive devices on Oct. 10 in District Court.